La Moule Tackles Brunch

About to join SE Clinton's growing brunch cluster—we're talking about the strip near SE 25th Avenue that includes Dot’s, Off the Waffle, and Broder—is romantic dinner spotLa Moule, now taking a stab at Portland’s most hallowed of meal times.

Known for its iconic mussels and fries, inventive cocktails, and dark, dreamy aesthetic, La Moule has been drifting westerly from its Belgian-Francophile identity since opening in 2015. But with a new brunch menu (debuting on Sunday, November 13), chefs Aaron Barnett and Elsie Walker go full-on continental American breakfast, with a few nods to Asia as well.

A liège waffle (chocolate and cream or dulce de leche and cinnamon sugar) is there to remind you that this is the same La Moule that we named one of our Best New Bars of 2016. But brunch also dishes up a lumberjack's dream version of poutine with French fries, gravy, cheese curds, bacon, mushrooms, fried onions, and sunny side up egg. Then there's kimchi pozole with pork and hominy stew and avocado toast with Dungeness crab.

Co-owner and Portland bar celeb Tommy Klus has his own plans, with a Bloody Caesar (vodka or gin, clamato, spices), Death in the Afternoon (absinthe and bubbles), and a “killer” champagne list to shame the usual piddling mimosa.